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Palo Alto County Hospital
3201 First Street, Emmetsburg, IA 50536 (opens Google Maps) · Palo Alto County · (712) 852-5520· 22 certified beds · avg 22 residents/day · certified since Feb 5, 1986 · Medicaid only — not Medicare certified
Certified for Medicaid only. It cannot bill Medicare, so a short post-hospital rehabilitation stay would not be covered the usual way here. Who pays for nursing home care →
4/5
Health inspection rating (on-site)
inspected Jul 17, 2025
0
Serious findings on record
$0
Fines, last 3 years
3.56
Nurse hours/resident/day (adjusted)
Every record stays on this page.
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
New to these records? How to read an inspection report →
Health inspection rating: ★★★★☆4/5 · CMS overall rating: 4/5 · how star ratings work →
The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and quality measures from resident assessments and claims.
Inspection findings in the public record
1 inspection finding in the public record
CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed — that window is CMS's, not ours. Within it, every citation CMS publishes for this facility is listed here: none excluded.
| Date | Severity | What the facility was cited for |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 17, 2025 | F · Potential for more than minimal harm, widespread | The facility did not electronically submit complete and accurate staffing information to the government, based on payroll and other verifiable records. · F-0851 |
Inspection trend by year
All citationsSerious citations (G–L)
2025
All citations: 1
Serious citations (G–L): 0
All bars start at zero. Exact values and supporting details remain below.
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | F |
Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.
Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
What these staffing numbers mean →
This facilityIowa averageU.S. average
Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day)
This facility: 3.56
Iowa average: 4.37
U.S. average: 3.95
Registered Nurse hours
This facility: 1.58
Iowa average: 0.85
U.S. average: 0.69
Weekend total nurse staffing
This facility: 2.66
Iowa average: 3.86
U.S. average: 3.50
All bars start at zero. Exact values and supporting details remain below.
| Measure | This facility | Iowa avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 3.56 | 4.37 | 3.95 | bottom 11% in Iowa; bottom 39% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 1.58 | 0.85 | 0.69 | top 4% in Iowa; top 4% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 2.66 | 3.86 | 3.50 | bottom 1% in Iowa; bottom 15% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.97 | 0.51 | 0.48 | top 4% in Iowa; top 6% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 17.6 | 44.0 | 45.8 | top 1% in Iowa; top 2% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 14.3 | 42.1 | 42.9 | top 11% in Iowa; top 7% in the U.S. |
Hours are per resident per day for the most recent quarter of payroll data in this CMS release (2026-08-01) — the same quarter for every facility — case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 3.07, RN 1.36, weekend 2.30.Comparing with Medicare Care Compare? Care Compare shows the raw figure (3.07 here, displayed there as hours and minutes), not the adjusted one above. Both are correct; they answer different questions. Staffing rating: 4/5.
Quality measures: assessments & claims
Note: CMS combines facility-reported resident assessments (MDS) with claims-based measures. These are different sources from on-site inspection findings. Read the measures alongside inspection and staffing records; a high QM rating does not establish that a home is safe.
Quality measures rating: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 4/5 · short-stay residents: —/5
Costs & payment
Price evidence · separate from quality
No verified facility-specific private-pay price is available in our data for Palo Alto County Hospital. CMS inspection and staffing records do not tell us what this home will charge you.
Calculate a stay from a quote you receive
Use a written private-pay quote. This worksheet adds only the amounts you enter; it does not calculate Medicare, Medicaid or insurance benefits.
Formula: (room rate + daily extras) × days + one-time charges. A 30-day scenario is not a calendar-month quote. Refundable deposits, rate changes and charges you omit are not automatically included. Entries are not saved or sent to our server.
Before you compare prices
- Request the room type, effective date and itemized daily rate in writing.
- Ask about therapy, medicines, supplies, care-level charges, deposits, refunds and annual increases.
- Confirm insurance or Medicaid eligibility and bed availability directly; certification alone does not guarantee either.
Understand who pays for care · How we handle price evidence · Report an incorrect price
Who owns this facility
How to read ownership records →
Ownership records as published by CMS on 2026-08-01. CMS records when an owner joined but not when they left. Listed here and no longer involved? Tell us →
Government - County
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership Data Not Available |
All 1 owning or managing party CMS has on file are shown — none excluded.
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "How do your actual daily staffing levels compare to what's reported on Medicare's Care Compare website?"
Also worth asking anywhere
- "Your weekend nurse staffing is reported below the Iowa midpoint — how does the weekend schedule differ from a weekday?"
- "Can I see the plan of correction for the findings in your most recent state inspection?"
- "CMS reports 18% total nursing staff turnover here — who on the care team has been with you longest?"
- "Can I visit again unannounced, at a mealtime or on a weekend?"
Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)
| Facility | Distance | City | Overall | Inspection | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeside Lutheran Home | 0.4 mi | Emmetsburg, IA | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Emmetsburg Care Center | 1.3 mi | Emmetsburg, IA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Ruthven Community Care Center | 10.6 mi | Ruthven, IA | ★★★★☆ | 4/5 | |
| West Bend Health and Rehabilitation | 16.6 mi | West Bend, IA | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 |
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 16E668.